Sermon Tone Analysis
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Intro
Highland Park, IL, Uvalde, TX, and Buffalo, NY represent three of the 315 mass shootings in 2022.
Record highs in mass shootings is what happens when you combine strong 2nd Amendment convictions with apathy for gun violence.
60 bullet wounds were found in Jayland Walker’s body following a police chase with 8 Akron Officers.
Excessive use of force is what happens when you combine racism in police training with passivism from local politicians.
White House staff members are testifying before the House regarding the January 6th attacks at the State Capital --- which includes testimony on President Trumps involvement.
Domestic terrorism is what happens when extreme political convictions are mixed with Nationalism and revisionist history instead of protecting the well-being of our country
Within the infamous Southern Baptist Convention a special task force reveals decades long corruption created by a culture of sexual abuse and coverups amongst denominational leaders and local pastors.
Corruption is what happens when the church cares more about money and power than loving God and our neighbors.
And the nation is left with this question: Where is the faithful pursuit of compassion and conviction in America?
Where is compassion for victims of gun violence?
When while Black and Brown bodies be treated with care?
When will politicians uphold their end of the bargain?
When will the fight for the poor?
When will the church protect women?
When will the church confront abusers?
When will it throw out corrupt leaders?
When will we see faithful pursuit of compassion and conviction from the people who say they love God the most?
Because you can’t be compassionate if you don’t have love.
And If you don’t love your neighbor, then you can’t love God.
And If you don’t love God then you cannot be Christian.
And If you aren’t a Christian then your religious convictions are probably Eurocentric or Eastern ideas wrapped in moral imagination.
And after all of that we’re left with social, political, and religious movements that are lusting for power, money, and respect.
That’s why we must carry compassion & conviction.
Because conviction without compassion looks like:
Faith without works.
Meanwhile compassion without conviction looks like:
Pity with a hint of sorrow.
But we need to have compassion and conviction, so we have the substance and the work of the Word.
Because society needs a church that realizes listening to someone’s pain doesn’t mean you’re neglecting your faith.
You can disagree with abortion and listen to a woman who in crisis
You can disagree with same-sex marriage and still recognize the couple’s right to adequate healthcare.
You can disagree with a person’s religion and still support their right to live peacefully in America.
Listening to someone’s pain and considering their story, doesn’t mean you’re leaving the faith.
It means that you’re able to have compassion for neighbor while keeping your convictions.
But Instead of leading with compassion we’ve majored in rejection.
But our text reveals that God chooses people who are rejected to accomplish good works.
Transition Sentence
Because rejection doesn’t cancel God’s plan for your life.
Point 1
First, I want to discuss the necessity of compassion and conviction because God uses the Others.
Look at verse 1 --- Jephthah was a soldier from the region of Gilead.
The opening sentence of Jephthah’s story is a call statement.
No matter how you feel about Jephthah or what anyone says about him --- Jephthah is called to be a Soldier.
No one can take away his calling.
Family can’t take it away.
Friends can’t take it away.
Enemies can’t take it away.
Nor can the church take it away.
The only person who can give or take away Jephthah’s calling is God.
Let me encourage someone who is struggling to embrace their calling because of rejection --- No one can take away your calling.
They didn’t give it to you and they can’t take it away.
So, don’t allow family, friends, teachers, bosses, social media, or wrong decisions distract you from the people, places, and skills God has called you to.
Do whatever is necessary to fulfill the assignments God has called you to.
Look back at verse 1 --- Jephthah is called to be a Soldier, his father is named Gilead, but his mother is a prostitute.
Don’t overlook that in the text.
Jephthah’s momma is a prostitute.
That isn’t a typo.
There’s no alternate meaning.
It means exactly what is says.
Jephthah’s father – left his home where his wife and kids are to have sex with a prostitute.
That’s important to the story, because the next verse tells us how Jephthah was treated by his family.
But I want to focus on this for a minute.
Gilead is a prominent, rural city in the Jordan region.
It’s where some Israelites settled when they were released from Egypt.
Gilead is known for producing excellent crops.
So, if Gilead was a city in Texas it would be known for the sweetest watermelon and corn.
Or juicy tomatoes and spicy peppers.
So, Jephthah’s father isn’t poor.
Jephthah is born into a wealthy family, who lives on a big farm, and lives a good country life.
However, Jephthah’s dad decides to cheat on his wife with a prostitute.
In ancient Jewish culture there are two reasons a woman would become a prostitute:
First – she was a widow or an orphan.
A single or fatherless woman couldn’t just work anywhere.
She didn’t have the job opportunities women have today.
So you couldn’t just tell Jephthah’s mother to “Just Get a Job”.
And if you did say that to her --- one of the few options she had was prostitution.
Second – a woman might become a prostitute as a career because it paid good money.
And many non-Jewish women became sex workers because of how much money the industry made.
Therefore, Jephthah’s mother chose prostitution over poverty.
But here’s the issue I have with Jephthah’s family --- his brother’s bullied him because of the sins of THEIR father.
Let’s not be mistaken.
Gilead chose Jephthah’s mother.
Gilead chose to cheat on his wife.
Gilead chose to bring a new woman into the family.
But Jephthah is treated as if he was responsible for his father’s actions.
No, Jephthah had nothing to do with his father’s infidelity.
But even if he did --- he still didn’t deserve the treatment he was given.
No child chooses their family.
Regardless of the issues in a family, every child deserves respect.
An unborn child doesn’t force their parent into addiction.
An unborn child doesn’t create an abusive household.
An unborn child doesn’t tempt their parents into cheating.
An unborn child doesn’t force a couple to divorce.
An unborn child doesn’t force a parent to neglect their responsibilities.
So, no child deserves to be mistreated because of the actions of their parents.
Even moreso – we see in the text that passive parenting leads to a dysfunctional family.
Look at verse 2 --- When his wife’s sons grew up, they threw Jephthah out.
They told him, “You’ll get no inheritance from our father.
You’re the son of that other woman.”
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